VBA welcomes VAGO report

Thursday May 28 2015

The Victorian Auditor-General's Office (VAGO) has today issued a report
into Victoria's consumer protection framework for building construction,
which includes recommendations for the Victorian Building Authority (VBA).

The VBA welcomes the report and VAGO's acknowledgement of the actions
undertaken by the VBA, since its establishment in July 2013, to address
previous recommendations, along with the positive steps it has taken to improve
its regulatory performance in a number of areas.

The VBA has made significant efforts to transform the organisation and
its culture by implementing a more systematic and risk-based approach to our
regulatory function, which has been evident in our compliance and enforcement
activities over the past two years.

Whilst the report acknowledges the progress made by the VBA, it also
makes useful recommendations on actions we can undertake to provide greater
confidence to both consumers and building practitioners that the regulatory
system is operating effectively.

The VBA accepts the recommendations contained within the report and has
already committed to taking steps to implement them. Responsibilities for
delivery of VAGO's recommendations that involve the VBA are shared between the
Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Consumer Affairs Victoria
and the Building Practitioners Board.

We will continue to work closely with our valued government, peak body
and industry stakeholders in the implementation of these recommendations, and
will update you on the actions taken as we deliver on our commitment to be an
accountable, efficient and responsive regulator.

For further details on the recommendations please refer to VAGO's report.